A Father's Love
by Manake
Summary: Mahaad wakes in the middle of the night to calm the cries of a baby Card Ejector (named Mira in this story). Never before could he have guessed how strong a father's love for his daughter could be.


**Hello, all! :D Sorry I haven't updated in awhile. Being busy combined with limited computer access has taken its toll on my writing, along with a sever case of writer's block. -_-' But I came up with this little oneshot and figured I'd post it! :D So here we have a bit of Apprenticeshipping fluff, except it focuses more on Mahaad...and their daughter! I have a headcanon that Card Ejector is Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl's love child, so I kinda went with that! ^_^ Anywho, I hope you all enjoy! 3**

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A loud, high-pitched scream pierces the dark. Mahaad is jerked awake instantly as he sits upright in bed. After a moment, he recognizes the cry and breathes a sigh of relief. He feels silly for not recognizing the cry of his own daughter. This isn't the first time this has happened, either, but it's not his fault his brain is wired to always be prepared for battle, so therefore the way he reacted is a natural response to distress. After taking a couple of breaths to calm himself, he looks over to the blonde woman sleeping soundly next to him. "Mana, I believe it's your turn," he says into her ear. She does not awaken, rather rolls over and continues to sleep soundly through the sound of her infant crying. Mahaad proceeds to shake her shoulder gently. "Mana, please wake up. Mira might be hungry." Once again, no success. Mahaad sighed in defeat and shook his head. "She really sleeps like a rock when she wants to." He pulls back the covers and moves over to the bassinet at the foot of their bed. He gingerly picks up the little baby wrapped in a light pink blanket and cradles her in his arms.

Shortly after Mahaad and Mana finally got married, they were blessed with the news that they would be having a child. Mana was more than excited to become a mother, and handled the following nine months with grace and happiness. Mahhad on the other hand wasn't quite as excited. More than anything, he was nervous – even a little bit scared, which took a lot for him to admit. He had no idea how to be a father. Besides looking after Mana when they were younger, he didn't have that much experience with children, so he didn't know how to handle them or speak to them. Mahaad voiced his thoughts on the matter to Mana several times during her pregnancy, and every time he was unsure of himself, she would take his hand, smile, and say, "I promise you will be an amazing dad. Just try not to worry so much." And he really did try. For the rest of her pregnancy, he remained calm and tried to picture what the new addition of their family was going to look like. When the day finally came for Mana to give birth, that old panic resurfaced. Now that she was actually here, he feared that he would be useless in trying to care for his own daughter. However, there was one thing he knew for certain: he loved her unconditionally. From the moment he first held her, he knew that he had to do everything in his power to make sure she was happy and safe, and that he could teach her whatever he could.

They decided to name her Mira, which in Latin means "wonderful." Mana had deemed the name appropriate, since her presence in their lives was such a wonderful thing. Atop her head was a scalp of fine, green hair, which Mana dreamed of brushing and putting into pigtails when she got old enough. What caught Mahaad's attention though, were her bright blue eyes. He knew that babies usually have blue eyes when they are first born, but when he saw Mira's for the first time, he knew they were his. Those shimmering aquamarines were identical to his own. And in that moment, he couldn't help but feel a bit of pride – both for himself and for his daughter.

It's now been a month since Mira was born, and both Mahaad and Mana were adjusting to the life of new parents. Mana was a natural at being a mother, always knowing what it was Mira needed when she cried, and knowing just how to get her to sleep again. However, since she inadvertently does most of the work caring for the little one, she often gets tired and doesn't even realize it. Tonight was the first night Mana didn't wake up when Mira started crying, so Mahaad felt completely useless. Even when it was his turn to rock her back to sleep, Mana stayed awake just in case he needed help. Now he was on his own.

Naturally, the first thing Mahaad does is sniff the blanket near where Mira's blanket would be, to make sure it wasn't dirty in any way. He sighed in relief when he smelled nothing, and started rocking slowly back and forth to try and ease Mira back to sleep. She kept crying, however, not even quieting down at all. Mahaad began to bounce his arms gently as he continued to sway his body, trying his hardest to calm the screaming infant. "Please, little one. Stop your crying," he spoke in a soothing voice. When this happened, he noticed Mira's crying calmed for a moment, before flaring up again. Mahaad gasped softly and looked down at his daughter's face. _"She recognizes my voice!"_ he thought to himself. He begins to speak again, saying whatever came to his mind. "It's alright, Mira. Please stop crying. I'm here, it's alright. I've got you." Sure enough, Mira's screaming died down to soft whining, and she slowly began to calm down.

Suddenly, Mahaad remembers something from when he and Mana were children in Egypt. Since she was prone to nightmares, and he was the one designated to look after her, he was usually the one who had to get her back to sleep. In order to do that, he usually sang her a lullaby, and she would calm down and go right back to sleep. He still remembered the old tune, even after 5,000 years, so he began to sing it to Mira, still slowly rocking her in his arms. The melody was simple and soft, and the words were in ancient Egpytian, naturally. Now Mahaad wasn't much of a singer, but he did have a somewhat enchanting voice when he did sing. The old language rolled off his tongue and the words formed in his mouth naturally and perfectly, melding together with the style of the melody. Every line, every note he sang lulled Mira more and more, quieting her crying until finally she was completely silent. When the song was over, Mira looked up at her father with those wide, aqua eyes with mild curiosity. Mahaad wasn't sure if she knew exactly what was happening, but he had no doubt in his mind that she knew who he was. He smiled down at her with his own blue eyes, and held her close to his chest. He placed a hand gently on her head and stroked her forehead with his thumb. "Daddy's got you," he says, almost in a whisper. For a moment, he thought he saw the slightest hint of a smile on her tiny mouth. This caused his own smile to spread, completely mesmerized by the infant cradled in his arms. Mahaad felt his heart fill with joy and love, knowing full well that she was his. This tiny girl he was holding was now his whole world, and he knew it was his and Mana's job to look after her.

Mahaad leaned down to gently place a kiss on Mira's forehead, then softly hummed the lullaby again to try to get her back to sleep. Slowly, Mira's eyes began to close, and her breathing became even, as she drifted off to sleep. He continued to hum to her, even after he knew she was asleep, then just held her in his arms and watched her sleeping face. From behind him, he heard Mana begin to shift and move towards him. "So you wake up _after_ she stops crying? Typical." He chuckles softly, and Mana does the same.

"I'm sorry. I must have been more tired than I thought." She puts an arm around him and looks over his shoulder, seeing that he got her back to sleep just fine. "I heard you singing the lullaby you used to sing to me. It brought back so many memories." She leans her head against his and nuzzles it softly.

Mahaad shifted his eyes toward his wife and smiled. "I'm sure it did. It was the only thing I could think of to get her to stop crying, since she responded to my voice."

Mana looked at him joyfully. "Did she really?"

The magician nodded slowly. "It seems she recognizes who I am."

"Well I should hope so! You are her dad, after all."

Mahaad chuckles. "I know." He looks back down at Mira. "It's amazing how much love one can feel for their own child. She hasn't been in this world for very long, and yet I know she is going to bring so much joy into our lives."

Mana grins and kisses Mahaad's cheek. "She sure is, love. And I know she's going to become quite the magician, just like her father."

Mahaad chuckles and turns back to Mana. "Her mother, too." He winks at her, then leans in softly to kiss her lips. He then gets up and walks over to the bassinet, placing Mira gently back in, being careful not to jostle her. Mana comes up behind her husband and wraps her arms around him. He does the same, placing an arm around her and resting his hand on the small of her back. Before returning to bed themselves, they look down at the wonderful, beautiful baby they brought into the world, and smile. They may not know what kind of a future lies ahead for their new family, but they do know that they'll get through it together, and that it will be filled with love.


End file.
